LATEST POSTS

*This is a sponsored post.
So about a week ago, I was contacted by Burlington to do a post about the brand. They sent me a $100 gift card and instructed to visit the store and then do a little haul video based on what I got there.
This is my first haul type of video, however instead of sitting in front the computer and showing the pieces like that, I decided to actually model them really quickly instead.
Burlington stores are similar to other discount type of stores where you can find clothing and home decor items at 65% off department store prices.
When I was shopping there, I found a pair of amazing jeans ( not allowed to mention the brand) that would normally be over $160. They weren't in my size, but I contemplated buying them just to gift to someone who is size 2, bec[...]

The other day we were supposed to put together a storybook of a day for our music class. So instead of printing photos and glueing them to paper ( who has time for that), I put together a quick (and very basic) slideshow of our beach trip with friends.
I picked out some of the better photos to post here and since I already had the slideshow ready, I am publishing it as well.
The dresses the girls are wearing are by Lourdes Kids and Lexi is sporting her favorite Star Babiators.
Swimsuit is by Submarine Kids and the swim jacket is by Konfidence.
[...]

The other part of our Christmas experience in Orlando was a stay at Gaylord Palms where we have stayed before numerous times and a visit to the ICE exhibit.
For those who have never heard of the exhibit, it's a big deal in Central Florida. A huge center full of ice sculptures and 9F weather in the middle of a hotel. We went to one years back before Lexi and it was fun, so we figured Lexi would get a kick out of it as well.
This time they had an amazing Alpine Village with snowtubing, hot cocoa, Santa visit and a lot of activities.
Since this was Lexi's VERY first experience with cold (and 9F is no joke), we made sure to dress her in an adorable pink Appaman coat and their white knit hat. It was so funny seeing her in winter gear for the first time. Kids are so cute bundled[...]

Before time gets away from me, I wanted to write a bit about how we spent Christmas last year. We had planned to get away somewhere cold and snowy for the first time, but after our West Coast Travels in October and the overwhelming amount of work for the holidays, we just couldn't fathom planning another trip. So staying close to home is what we decided to do. We visited ICE exhibit ( later on that) and went to Legoland Florida on Christmas Day. I couldn't believe how not busy it was, considering Disney is packed during those times, so it was a nice change for us. This was our first visit to Legoland and I honestly didn't see how it would be good for a almost three year old who doesn't know what Lego is.
To my surprise, it had more attractions for her age/height than the other parks we[...]

These have been sitting in my drafts for months now. I considered not publishing them at all, since it's been so long, but they are all ready so what the heck. Otherwise I am just going to resume blogging from this point on, not trying to catch up on things (with the exception of some travel posts). Starting with Lexi's Princess and Pirate birthday after these holiday posts.
So photos from our Halloween adventures.
Age reference: 2.5 years.
1st Trick Or Treating
Trick Or Treating at the Gardens
[...]

A while ago I found a list of life rules by a famous person. I loved some of them so much that I saved them as a blog post but never published. As I am working on some posts for the blog, I thought it would be nice to share some of my favorite rules that I try to live by, need a reminder of sometimes or agree with. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. (Some numbers are missing because I kept only the rules I wanted a reminder or/agreed with.)
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get throug[...]

This survey was sponsored by the new Panorama™ NIPT, created by Natera, that enables women in the first trimester of pregnancy to be screened for more than a dozen leading genetic diseases as early as 9 weeks gestation. Additionally, the test has an optional gender screening that is >99% accurate. Because the test is performed with a routine blood draw, it does not come with a risk of miscarriage that more invasive tests (like amniocentesis) carry.
Hey, guys, this is another sponsored post. Things have been insane with the holidays, so my regular programming is on hold :)
So Natera sent me this infographic on women's attitudes towards the journey of pregnancy. It reminded me of my own journey through the pregnancy and everything that I shared on this blog and how excited and anxio[...]

A new nursing line of apparel, Kinwolfe, has teamed up with bloggers and website to help them spread the word out throughout the breastfeeding community.
Kinwolfe is a brand that is taking a very different approach to nursing styles. All clothing is loose and flowy even in the smallest sizes. The items are made of silk which combined with the flowy properties of the clothing makes it the most comfortable nursing apparel ever. I just spent the whole day in m dress without taking it off.
The styles are designed to flatter any new mom regardless of her size or shape. The flowy fabrics hide imperfections and postpartum bellies. These clothes are meant for real breastfeeding women, not just naturally thin bodies.
As a new company they are launching the line via Kickstarter [...]

Want to see our Halloween Night Photoshoot? Click here!
It was our first time at Mickey's Halloween Party with Lexi. The one and only time we had been to one was with our friends years before we had Lexi and it was an interesting expereince. This time we were excited to see how different it would be now that we are parents.
It was certainly different. :)
First of all, the 7 pm start time was suddenly a challenge, especially on those days without a nap. We did all we could to get Lexi to nap but she was just WAY to excited to be in Orlando to relax. So she stayed up full of energy until we were all dressed and got into the Disney bus. We made quite a spectacle while walking through the lobby to get to the Disney bus stop. People were stopping to look at us, children were running up. [...]

I know that I've slacked in the department of product reviews since getting busier, but I am hoping to fix that in the near future and trickle out reviews of some of my favorite things or at least compile them into the TRIED and TRUE posts.
This is going to be more of a story of how our life evolved with the product than an actual review, but in so writing about it, you will get a good idea whether you might enjoy this product as much as we did or not.
This particular item has sneakily made its way into our life in more ways than I anticipated. We had featured a Kitchen Helper on Daily Mom, right at the time when I was struggling to keep Lexi occupied while I cooked. I had also heard good things about it from MULTIPLE people. So I thought it was a worth product to try and see if it s[...]

So obviously, our Halloween costumes were Frozen themed. Obviously because what girl doesn't want to dress up like Elsa for Halloween? And what parent doesn't want to be their children's supporting cast in the fantasy of being their favorite character? After repeatedly asking Alexis what she wants to be for Halloween, we have surrendered to the standard and typical answer of many 2 year olds. ELSA!
So 2 weeks before our Mickey's No-So-Scary Halloween party, we went in search of family Halloween costumes. Surprisingly, no one was offering Kristoff costumes aside from really expensive and not-so-good-looking etsy options. Eventually, we found all of our costumes on DHgate.com (directly from China, ya'll), which is where we will be ordering all our costumes from now on. Custom made to size[...]

Remember our first Pumpkin Patch trip? It was funny, and pretty cool, and not what I expected. We go plenty of fun pictures of Lexi but not the greatest family pictures. I meant to reshoot, but life intervenes.
Fast foward to this year. Guess what? We got plenty of cute Lexi photos, but our family photos had a great church building in the background. Hahahaha!
We just can't win!
At least we all look cool in our sunglasses :) After this I said I would come back in the morning and re-shoot the other way so that the building wasn't ruining the shot ( because of the position of the sun we weren't able to turn out and get well exposed photos), but you know what?
I am learning.
Learning that my overachieving selectively perfectionist self doesn't usually get the time for a re-do[...]

After the cake was finished, half the guests had to go home and put their kids to sleep and the other half stayed for the pool part of the party. Which was almost my favorite, since things were now relaxed. It felt like any normal day at the pool, except that the Lexis were dressed alike and there was a photographer taking pictures :)
And yay, I didn't think I would actually finish blogging about the party, but I did :) It was sweet to go through the photos again. Enjoy the last post and the photos.
2nd Birthday Party: Planning, Party Favors, Decor
2nd Birthday Party: Party Outfits
2nd Birthday: The Morning Of
First Birthday posts start here
Photos are taken and edited by MM Works Photography
[...]

Part II is all about the cake. We used the same amazing European bakery for the cake as on her first birthday.
The cakes they make taste so authentic, not overly sweet and with such a subtle soft cream.
Since we were doing everything last minute, we opted for a simple cake that we [attempted to] attached a tutu to.
It was so funny watching the girls blow out the candles.
Alexa was too timid to go anywhere near the people at first and Lexi didn't know how to blow well yet so she was spitting all over the place (Cringe! Sorry, guys!).
Finally the candle was blown out and then Lexi asked for it again and again ( we told her we would do it at home). Everyone clapped, she looked very proud. Alexa did get a chance to blow out a candle too later when there weren't so many people around.
[...]

This is what I call a Photo Post.
I put these together when inspiration strikes, when I feel like I need a little bit more beauty in the moment, when I want reminisce, when I am down, when I am lazy and don't want to write a long post, when it's late and that's all I have the energy for, when it's something I've been meaning to share for a while. There are many reasons for me to work on a post that lacks words and instead appeals to the visual person in me.
This photo post is from the time when Lexi just turned 2. It was shortly after her birthday that we decided to take a trip to one of the most beautiful places I've been to, Bok Tower and Gardens in Central Florida. It's a truly unique place in Florida and I've always wanted to bring Lexi back here, the place where her dad and I to[...]

In the second part of the Birthday, the entertainer arrived and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made for a birthday party ( aside from having a photographer). Kids LOVED it. They got animal balloons, they played games, sang songs, and had a blast. Next year we will have princess visit the party. Enjoy the pictures.
Photos are taken and edited by MM Works Photography}
2nd Birthday Party: Planning, Party Favors, Decor
2nd Birthday Party: Party Outfits
2nd Birthday: The Morning Of
First Birthday posts start here
2nd Birthday Party: Planning, Party Favors, Decor
2nd Birthday Party: Party Outfits
2n[...]

Funny and cute sayings from 30-33 months ( 2.5 and up)
Read previous editions of "Stuff Lexi Says":
24-27 Months
27-30 Months
When reading about a heart and it pumping blood:
Lexi: "Pump like the one daddy used to blow up dinosaur pool!"
Waking up: "I want to dress up Minnie!"
Me: You want to play dress up with the Minnie doll?
Lexi: That's a great idea, Momma! Come on, follow me!
While playing school:
"Um, Mister Mama Teacher, can you read me a book and open a snack?"
Lexi: "Boobie is all sandy because someone put sand in the boobie."
Me: Who did that?
Lexi: Grandma? Noooo!!!! Caden? (her friend)
Daddy: "But first give me a kissy. Give me a kiss and I'll turn the light on in the bathroom"
Lexi: "Daddy you get a kiss on the foot[...]

I realize it has been over a year since her birthday. There has been so much travel and events since then that blogging about has been pushed back. But now as she is approaching her 3rd birthday and looking back at the party, it was FABULOUS. I loved it and she looks adorable in her Swan outfit with her matching best friend. I just have to finish blogging about it, timing be damned.
I will keep it short and just leave the photos.
The first part of the Birthday Party was guests pouring in and children playing with toys we brought out as well as snacking. The tea sandwiches we made were killed within 30 minutes (they were yummy sandwiches) and we had to resort to ordering pizza to keep the guests fed. :)
Other than that, the first part was just a lot of talking and playing on the pa[...]

To me this was the cutest age for sayings, because of how funny the sentence structure sometimes was and the words she used. Then at exactly 2.5 years she suddenly started talking with normal adult sentences with proper endings but also using off the wall complicated words which made it funny too, but not as funny as butchered words and sentences of 27-30 months stage. Some of these might not be funny being read, as it was also about the stage of development as well as gesturing and voice that made it so cute and funny.
So behold "The Stuff Lexi says: 27-30 months Edition"
Note: She calls herself YAYA, a vestige from when she couldn't pronounce Lexi, but it stuck as her nickname.
After falling down, while I was watering flowers, I was hoping she would just get up and conti[...]

A few months ago, while nursing Lexi to sleep, I was on a Facebook Gentle Parenting group reading someone's post about their daughter. I think she was refering to her daughter being an extrovert and her being an introvert and the difficulty surrounding her parenting due to that.
After reading her post, something clicked in my mind. The way she was describing her daughter seemed very much like Lexi: high excitement, high energy, non-stop movement unless she is doing something that requires her attention, constantly needing attention, not playing on her own.
I had always thought Alexis was high needs in the best possible way when she was little but some things just didn't jive. She wasn't sensitive in a way high needs children tend to be, she just needed a lot of attention and was very[...]

I don't know if this will work for everyone, but we have come up with a calming technique that really helps diffuse an upset that is about to turn into a tantrum.
Around 18 months things started getting difficult with Lexi.
We hadn't experienced any tantrums at that point, because we, for the most part, allow our daughter to make her own decisions, or give her options that are acceptable. However, that age (18-24 months) was the most difficult in terms of managing all the new desires and emotions. She was finally capable of many things with many wants, but at the same time she was still too small to do other things or understand many concepts like time. She was asserting her independence and in many way that led to her getting upset.
One day Andrew tried to show Lexi how to [...]

I have written about buying non-toxic rugs for the playroom.
I have shared with you about the play tents that aren't sprayed with fire retardants
I have opted for solid wood storage furniture from IKEA, rather than their better looking MDF counterpart.
I have tried to mostly use green play furniture by Hape and toddler table by Svan
But the hardest part about creating a relatively non-toxic playroom was bookshelves.
And surprisingly so. You would think that the number one item in a child's play area should be books. That could be my bias talking, of course. Or more precisely, Lexi's bias. She is a book worm. Beyond anything I have seen in a toddler. She LOVES books. She inhales books. On daily basis, all you could hear from her is "READ READ! MAMA READ! PLEASE READ!"
[...]

I am back. Two weeks of traveling is no joke. But now we are home, left to dig out from the pile of housework and workwork.
I can say one thing: it was a trip of a lifetime. I cannot imagine it getting any better than what we just experienced in 2 weeks. The variety of climates, locations, experiences and activities was astonishing.
We all came back enriched. With experiences. Lexi came back acting and talking like she is all grown up.
We have noticed that every time we go away, we come back with a major development jump in Alexis. This time it was cognitive.
I am super excited to be home and settle into our routine. Back to Daily Mom work and posting on this blog, as well as Lexi's classes and activities. It seemed like we were gone 6 months. It's only been two weeks.
[...]

Almost exactly a year ago we took our first cross country trip since Lexi was born to attend a trade show. It was nerve racking for many reasons and looking back I have a mix of emotions about it.
Going into it, we had no idea how it was going to work. We had never done anything like that with Lexi and her reaction could not have been guessed.
On one hand I was excited to fly with her for the first time, to show her the sights, to experience it with her for the first time. One of my most favorite things about have a child is seeing the world through their eyes and finding things that brings them joy. At the same time, I was completely lost at the idea of how she would tolerate a 5 hour non-stop flight considering we just barely got a handle on 3 hour car rides. We were also getting [...]

This blog has become such a big part of my life that during times when I can't blog, I get this nagging sad feeling.
Right now we are frantically working to finish the National Breastfeeding Month with a bang and planning the annual Vegas trip for the ABC Expo, so very little time is left to blog, which will change again shortly at the end of this month.
In the meantime, this is what has been keeping us busy....
[...]

I know a ton of my readers still breastfeed. Or maybe at this point are expecting a new baby or just had one.
We are running a super cool initiative for World Breastfeeding Month at Daily Mom, where readers get to share their breastfeeding stories with everyone. At the end of the month we will be running a HUGE and I mean, HUGE breastfeeding giveaway and I just want to give you the heads up to watch for it. We are putting it together now and it is massive. It will include EVERYTHING one might want, if they are a new breastfeeding mom, a mom breastfeeding a toddler, an exclusively pumping mom. We will have 4 winners. So don't miss it.
I think that's all. Thought it kind of went with the previous post.
[...]

Day 3 of 3 Days at South Seas Resort.
See gorgeous Day 1 here and exciting Day 2 here
#justescape was the hashtag of our South Seas, Captiva trip and I can certainly say that is what we did.
We just escaped.
Looking at the photos, it is almost as if I have temporary amnesia from our stay there. I don't even remember and can't imagine being in that beauty.
I guess it's normal because I feel that way every time I step onto the beaches here in Florida. But one thing I do know is how much I wish I could be there again. Taking photos, enjoying the sunshine, the food, the view. Not a care in the world.
The last day was spent almost entirely at the pool. Thanks for the pool cabana which has long become a MUST HAVE on all our beach vacations, we were able to relax and enjoy the[...]

So the plan was to have the girls wear these adorable and cool outfits to Disney and take lots of adorable and cool photos with them hugging and holding hands and looking adorable and cool with the Cinderella's castle in the background.
Just like most everything in motherhood, then real life happened.
Real life means two crabby 2 year olds who either wanted a balloon or nothing to do with each other (hold hands...ha!) or out of the heat or to go ride rides.
Lesson learned, little ones, lesson learned.
So we scrapped the idea and decided to try again later. Do a Lexitwin photoshoot somewhere else. Do it after Alexa had some time to warm up to being around Lexi (opposite personalities mean that shy and quiet (in public) Alexa is often freaked out by extra-energetic in-your-face L[...]

I've been mentally writing this post the whole summer. Every time I would go outside with Lexi, I would think about mentioning this and that in a post on the blog.
So I'll keep it short but to the point.
After getting glasses, we decided to start spending even more time outdoors because that was the only thing that seemed to have any kind of correlation to slowing down myopia in studies . So we figured why not focus on spending as much time as possible outdoors. That meant creating an environment that was stimulating and interesting enough, especially for Lexi since she has a pretty high threshold on stimulation, just like her mama.
I had a few items we loved before that we moved outside and then slowly "collected" other toys that have together created her "outdoor space".
[...]